Pakistani Bishops and Christian Legislators Express Grave Concern Over Court Verdict on Marriage of Christian Girl

Christians across Pakistan have been protesting a court ruling that upheld the Islamic marriage of a minor Christian girl to a Muslim man, warning that it could encourage further cases involving the abduction of Christian and Hindu girls, forced conversions to Islam, and coerced marriages. Since the judgment was announced, it has sparked outrage among Christians, who have organised protest rallies and press conferences in various cities. Notably, many Muslims have also joined Christians in expressing concern over the verdict.
On March 25, a two-member bench of the Federal Constitutional Court, headed by Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, declared that the marriage between Maria Bibi, a Christian girl, and Sheheryar Ahmed, a Muslim man, is valid. The court rejected a petition filed by Bibi’s father, Shahbaz Masih, a Christian resident of Lahore, who alleged that his daughter is a minor—approximately 13 years old—and had been unlawfully detained.
Addressing the issue of age, the court stated that although the law penalises underage marriages, such marriages are not automatically considered invalid.
On March 31, Christian legislators gathered in Lahore to respond to the court verdict. On the same day, Felbous Christopher, Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minority Affairs Punjab, submitted a bill in the Punjab Provincial Assembly seeking five years’ imprisonment for perpetrators of forced conversions. The bill will now be referred to the Standing Committee on Minority Affairs for discussion and review before it can be tabled in the provincial assembly.
In a statement issued on March 30, the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (PCBC) and the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), the social arm of the PCBC, stated that courts are not consistently applying legislation that prohibits the marriage of anyone under 18 years of age. They described this selective application of the law as deeply troubling. Bishop Samson Shukardin, President of the PCBC and Chairperson of the NCJP, along with Fr. Bernard Emmanuel, National Director of the NCJP, and Naeem Yousaf Gill, Executive Director of the NCJP, warned that cases involving abducted Christian girls are being adjudicated in a manner inconsistent with the law of the land.
Many local and international human rights organisations have also expressed serious concern over the verdict, describing the issue as highly sensitive and potentially threatening—particularly in light of fears regarding forced or coerced conversions of young Christian and Hindu girls. These concerns stem from past incidents involving minority women, especially minors, who were reportedly subjected to forced conversions.
Minority Concern, a minority rights advocacy group, stated that the case contributes to a growing sense of insecurity and raises broader concerns about the religious freedom of non-Muslims in Pakistan. The situation may also strain Christian–Muslim relations and deepen mistrust between communities.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Pakistani Minorities in the UK also expressed grave concern over the court’s decision. While respecting the sovereignty of Pakistan’s judicial institutions, the APPG noted that this case forms part of a broader and well-documented pattern of allegations involving the abduction, forced conversion, and marriage of girls from religious minority communities, particularly Christians and Hindus.
“International human rights organisations, UN experts, and religious freedom monitors have repeatedly warned that minority girls in Pakistan remain especially vulnerable to coercion, early marriage, and religious conversion under circumstances that raise serious questions about consent and protection under the law,” the APPG stated.
Joseph Jansen, Chairperson of Voice for Justice, also raised serious concerns regarding the court’s reliance on unverified claims of religious conversion and its acceptance of minimal evidentiary standards. He warned that such reasoning risks legitimising coercion, manipulation, and abuse, particularly in cases involving minority girls. He added that such verdicts undermine protections for minority communities and discourage victims and their families from seeking legal recourse.